Fly The W

I'm running on just three and a half hours of sleep this morning. But a lack of sleep has never felt so good.

It's a stark contrast from just 24 hours ago when my stomach was in knots from anticipation and extreme nervousness.

As a background, I am from suburban Chicago. My parents came here from North Dakota in the summer of 1984. That's a summer which, Cubs fans know, was a fun one on the north side of Chicago when the Cubs made a run, won the NL East, and fell just short of a World Series berth. They got hooked, spent pretty much every weekend that following summer in the bleachers at Wrigley, and fell in love with this team. My dad, who grew up a Twins fan, was able to pull off rooting for both because interleague play wasn't around yet and neither team was likely to make the World Series. He got a pair of Twins championships, but this one eluded him.

I first was "blessed and healed," to borrow a phrase from Eddie Vedder, in 1998 when my dad took me to Wrigley for the first time. I was hooked then and there, and this was helped by Sammy Sosa taking a bunch of steroids hitting a crapton of homeruns and leading the Cubs to the playoffs. I was in love with the Cubs from then on.

So of course, within a few years I got the required course in heartbreak. The 2003 NLCS was devastating, and is one of only a few times sports I wasn't directly involved in made me cry. It hardened me up a little bit for the early exits in 2007 and 2008, the latter of which kept me up until 3:30 in the morning, feeling numb, watching Family Guy and playing video games of some sort just to feel something again. This led to disappointing falls from 2009 onward, until Theo came aboard.

He was honest up front about the rebuild: it was going to take time, and it wasn't going to be pretty at first. Those first couple of years were not good, but I knew it was all part of the plan. Restock the farm system, build from within, draft high, trade for prospects, and watch them grow. 2014 ended on a fairly positive note as some of the seeds began to sprout. I expected 2015 to be a step towards contention, but last season exceeded my wildest expectations as I got to see Kris Bryant hit his first Major League homer in person, see a crazy walkoff win, and watch the Cubs shock the world with the third best record in the National League but finish third in their division. Thanks to the Wild Card Game, they got a shot to make a postseason run, and even though it ended sooner than I wanted it to, I was still optimistic about the future.

This year they came into the season with a target on their backs, but per Joe Maddon, they embraced it en route to the best record in baseball. They needed four games to handle the Giants, though not without a thrilling ninth inning comeback to eliminate Even Year Magic. They went 21 innings without a run against the Dodgers as many Cubs fans panicked (I was definitely freaked out but not in full panic mode) before flipping the switch, getting to Kershaw, and winning the pennant at home.

They faced an extremely good Indians team that took them to the brink. I'm not even going to make any "It was 3-1" jokes here, even though it would be karmic, because I respect the Indians and their fans. By all accounts of Cubs fans in Cleveland that I've heard, the city was incredibly welcoming, and even watching the game last night you could see the respect the Cubs and Indians had for each other.

None of that overrode the extreme nerves, the likes of which I don't think I've ever felt before except maybe during a Blackhawks overtime playoff game. The Cubs building a 5-1 lead helped relax me a little bit, but I've been a Cubs fan long enough to know that weird stuff happens. The Indians rallied in the eighth to tie the game, and I pulled a "surrender cobra" after Rajai Davis' game-tying home run, but with the game still tied, I had faith. I was scared after they blew a chance in the ninth that the Indians would walk it off, but Aroldis Chapman held firm. Then the rain came.

I debated about going to shower, but I didn't know how long the delay would last. Thankfully it wasn't long and the Cubs had the right part of the order coming up in the 10th. I would have been yelling with joy were Kristen not asleep, having gone to bed in about the fourth inning. I spent the entire bottom of the tenth on my feet, texting my dad, wishing I was there with him. And then, magic.

History. #FlyTheW pic.twitter.com/S8vVDYA87T

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) November 3, 2016

I'm not going to lie, I cried a little bit. Kristen even heard it from upstairs. Prior to last night, I had seen all of my teams win multiple titles. I don't remember the first three peat, but I have memories of Michael Jordan leading the Bulls to their second three peat. I was on the wagon for Green Bay's Super Bowl XXXI victory, and reveled in their win 14 years later. I got on the bandwagon in time for the Blackhawks' 2010 Stanley Cup, though the Cups in 2013 and 2015 were much sweeter for me. That's 11 championships, by the way, and they all pale in comparison to last night.

Maybe it's recency bias, but I think it's more of the emotional investment. Last night is why we love sports. Last night is why I am a Cubs fan. Losing sucks, and losing tough games when your team hasn't won in a long time hurts. But then you have nights like last night, and it makes it all worth it.

Fall Classic Preview

I'm cutting it about as close as I can get to previewing the World Series. Really, this has been about a good a year for the playoffs as there has ever been, with 5 of the 6 series going the distance so far. It's teams that have been in the Classic fairly recently, and two great teams that have absolutely earned their way to this point so far. Given that we're just minutes from the start of Game 1, I'm going to throw this into quick preview mode.

Starting Pitching
Tonight the Tigers are probably going to win, if for no other reason that one Justin Verlander taking the hill. But I think top to bottom of the playoff rotation, I think the Giants are a little better. That's not a knock and guys like Scherzer or Fister, but more so a credit to the Cain/Lincecum/Baumgarner/Zito quartet. Slight edge: Giants.

Bullpen
The Tigers had some troubles during this postseason with closing, but they seem like they've figured things out. Meanwhile the Giants have had Sergio Romo fill in nicely for Brian Wilson in the 9th. Could go either way. Edge: push. 

Offense
You have the Triple Crown winner in Miguel Cabrera being protected by Prince Fielder. On the other side... just sheer balance up and down the lineup with the presumed NL MVP in Posey, and a guy with fire coming out of his rectum in Marco Scutaro. This could be fun. Edge: push.

Intangibles
In 2006, I said the Tigers were going to beat the Cardinals based on their rest and home field. They don't have home field this time, but got a lot of rest from the Yankee sweep. Meanwhile the Giants have played against the wall all postseason long it seems. The Giants seem to have "Nobody Believes in Us!" on their side based on the MLBtv guys. Edge: Giants.

Final Prediction
This is going to be a fun series. The pitching on both sides is great, and both teams have really good offenses. I think it comes down to depth in the rotation. Giants in 7.